Pokemon Organized Play is holding a "Pokemon Showdown" video game tournament for the DS games, with the winners going to the TCG World Championships to nuke it out! Read the details below.

Register now to put your battle skills to the test!

The Pokémon Video Game Showdown is a BATTLE of the best Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl players from Japan and the United States. Two Qualifier Tournaments will be held in the United States this summer, and the top eight finishers in each age division will win a trip to compete at the final Pokémon Video Game Showdown in Orlando, Florida.

All Pokémon Trainers must complete the following steps at Showdown.Pokemon.com to participate in a Pokémon Video Game Showdown Qualifier Tournament:

1. Get a My Pokémon account.
2. Pass the Pokémon Video Game Showdown Quiz.
3. If the number of players eligible for participation in a Qualifier Tournament exceeds the number of spaces available, players will be selected at random, and invitations will be distributed to selected players.

Do you think you have what it takes?

Learn more about the Pokémon Video Game Showdown and register today at the official Pokémon Video Game Showdown website!

Bellevue, WA - May 15, 2008 - Pokémon USA, Inc., has announced the first-ever Video Game Showdown, pitting the most skilled Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl players from the United States and Japan in a battle to determine the ultimate champion. The Pokémon Video Game Showdown will take place August 16 in Orlando, Florida and will feature 32 of the most talented players from each nation.

To win a seat in the Pokémon Video Game Showdown, players must compete and win at one of two Qualifier Tournaments taking place in Los Angeles and New York on July 12 and July 19, respectively. A total of 256 players in each city will battle for sixteen paid trips for two to Orlando to compete in the Pokémon Video Game Showdown. To enter for a chance to play in the Qualifier Tournaments, players must register and complete a Pokémon online quiz at http://showdown.pokemon.com.

"Pokémon strives to create fun products and events for players of all skill levels and interests," said J.C. Smith, director of marketing for Pokémon USA, Inc. "The Pokémon Video Game Showdown provides the most skilled Pokémon players an opportunity to determine who is truly the best."

Our new Japanese correspondent, "heerosferret," will be providing us with news from Japan now and forever. She is an avid Pokemon fan, watches the show each week, goes to the Pokemon Centers in Japan, and is a huge Raichu fan. She will be writing articles for us in the future about Pokemon life in Japan (in fact, she has already written one, and I'll probably post it tomorrow).

DP79, Decisive Match! Dawn VS May!!? ended 5 minutes ago in Japan as of this story being written. The preview for next week's episode (Yanma! Get Strategy!!) showed Jessie throwing a Poke Ball and it hitting a Yanma, which had already fainted. It goes into the Poke Ball, and Ash and friends gasp. Quite obviously, Jessie will catch a Yanma, which will replace her released Dustox.

Dawn, who was participating in the contest of this episode against May, won it with Piplup and earned her second ribbon. She barely defeated May and her Glaceon. At the end of the episode, May leaves.

The episode also featured a remixed intro, though with the same animation sequence as before (and the same intro since the very first Diamond and Pearl episode).

An official Pokemon Platinum website is now up and running, though it is in "teaser" mode. While the website contains no new information regarding the game, it does show clearer images than that of the CoroCoro and Famitsu magazine pages (including Giratina's Ken Sugimori Origin Form artwork in full).

This news comes from one of our most reliable Japanese sources who has never provided us with incorrect information, but the news itself sounds too good to be true, so we are classifying it as unconfirmed for now. If it turns out to be true, it will be very exciting.

Intense Fight in the Destroyed Sky is the beginning of a new set block in Japan, and with this new block comes new changes to the Trading Card Game.

In the main set, Giratina will have an attack called "Strike of the Destroyed Sky," which completely removes cards from the game. The opponent's Pokemon is put outside the playmat, with the effect of being banished to the "Lost Zone." The opponent's Pokemon can't return to the game for the duration of the match. This will probably be a new game concept / mechanic, though for now we are not sure if it is just limited to Giratina and to this set.

Shiny Pokemon, which have been in Pokemon games since Gold and Silver, will appear in the card game in some capacity (they will be different from Shining cards and Pokemon-star cards).

Three popular POKEMON cards (yes, Pokemon) from Base Set will be reprinted in the set, with their old card layout, with their original illustrations, and with their yellow card borders (since current Japanese cards have silver borders). Old cards have been reprinted in the past, so the only difference with this change is that the cards will look exactly the same.

If this news turns out to be true, it will just go to show that Pokemon Card Laboratory is trying to bring new life to the card game. After over 40 sets, new and radical changes are necessary to prevent the game from becoming stale. These changes will certainly be interesting, and are probably the first completely radical changes to the game since it was created.

Since this new set's information is now split across three news stories, I will make a page of all the information we know so far and have it posted by tonight.

Update: Bangiras has destroyed her eyesight and has translated the very small Empoleon, Infernape, and Torterra card images.

The official Japanese TCG website has updated with images of Empoleon, Infernape, and Torterra from "Intense Fight in the Destroyed Sky," the next Japanese set that we posted about last month. All three Pokemon are in their second elemental type (Steel, Fighting, and Ground, which translates to Metal, Fighting, and Fighting in the TCG).

Empoleon LV.52 - Steel - HP130
Stage 2 - Evolves from Prinplup

Poke-Power: Imperial Aura
This Power can be used once during your turn, when you play this card from your hand to Evolve your Active Pokemon. During your opponent's next turn, your opponent can't attach any Energy cards from hand to any of his or her Pokemon.

[C][C] Steel Wing: 40 damage. Any damage done to Empoleon by attacks during your opponent's next turn is reduced by 20.

[W][C][C] Whirlpool: 60 damage. Flip a coin, if heads discard an Energy card attached to the Defending Pokemon.

Weakness: Lightning (+30)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 2

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Infernape LV.49 - Fighting - HP120
Stage 2 - Evolves from Monferno

Poke-Power: Flame Dance
This Power can be used once during your turn, when you play this card from your hand to Evolve your Pokemon. Flip a coin, if heads search your deck for up to 4 Fire Energy cards and attach them to your Pokemon in any way you like.

[C][C] Close Combat: 60 damage. Any damage done to Infernape by attacks during your opponent's next turn is increased by 30.

[R][R][C][C] Heat Wave: 80 damage. Discard 2 Fire Energy attached to Infernape and do 20 damage to each of your opponent's Benched Pokemon.

Weakness: Psychic (+30)
Resistance: none
Retreat: 0

---

Torterra LV.47 - Fighting - HP140
Stage 2 - Evolves from Grotle

Poke-Power: Solar Song
This Power can be used once during your turn, when you play this card from your hand to Evolve your Pokemon. Choose any number of your Grass-type Pokemon in play. Search your deck for an Evolution card that Evolves from each of the chosen Pokemon, and Evolve them. Shuffle your deck afterward.

[C][C] Crash Impact: 60 damage. Torterra does 20 damage to itself. After doing damage, your opponent switches the Defending Pokemon with one of his or her Benched Pokemon.

[G][G][C][C] Ground Shake: 80 damage. During your opponent's next turn, whenever your opponent plays a Basic Pokemon from his or her hand onto the Bench, place 2 damage counters on that Pokemon.

Weakness: Water (+30)
Resistance: Lightning (-30)
Retreat: 4

Wallpaper of Pokemon in the set is also now available. Select your screen resolution below if you want to open the enlarged image (and then set it as your Desktop background by right clicking it, though how to set it will depend on your browser and its options).

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We now have an early scan of the Spring Battle Road winner card. Click the thumbnail to the right for a larger scan.

In spring 2007, the Battle Road promo was a gold winner card. For the fall 2007 Battle Roads, the Japanese silver winner card was used instead. Now (for spring 2008) it is the gold card again. So, it has been gold -> silver -> gold.

To find a Battle Road tournament near you, for dates, and for more information, use the links under the Battle Road listing in the 2008 calendar (located in the right menu).

The title for the 83rd Diamond and Pearl episode is Pastoria Gym! VS Crasher Wake!! It will air on June 19th in Japan.

Update: I have added a photo of a page from the May issue of Famitsu magazine to the image section on our Pokemon Platinum page. The magazine page contains no new information.

Look 'ma, I made a content page for once!

I have compiled all Pokemon Platinum information we know (and are not sure of) on to a single Pokemon Platinum page. It contains information, images, and translations related to the game. Check it out!

As new Pokemon Platinum information is released, I will update that page and eventually expand it into different sections.

A larger scan of the CoroCoro Pokemon Platinum page from the other day has been leaked on to several Japanese image boards. Click the thumbnail to the right for a larger version.

The release date for the game is listed as "Fall 2008." The page gives a brief description of the game, which Bangiras has translated: "Pokemon Platinum is the story of Pokemon Diamond/Pearl with many new attributes added." It also says, "Giratina is the key to a new adventure."

Since the scan from the other day was small, it was hard to make out a few things, and so some details were incorrect. Giratina is actually in its Origin Form when the Pokemon Trainer battles it (we previously thought it was in its normal form). What is interesting is that when it is summoned, it is actually in its normal form... how does it turn to its Origin Form between its appearance at Spear Pillar and the Pokemon Trainer battling it (at probably the same location)? Perhaps Cyrus, who is standing in front of Giratina as it is summoned, is involved?

Giratina's ability is listed as "???" next to its height and weight. Thus, its ability is unknown at this time.

The HP bar for Giratina has a different design, and the Pokemon Trainer is wearing blue for his Platinum outfit. What other designs changes will occur in the game?

The page also says that more details on Pokemon Platinum will be revealed in the next CoroCoro issue. So, more information will be known in probably a month from now.

Update: The date turned out to be incorrect; Ranch is not available for download today.

The release date for Pokemon Ranch has been posted on a few gaming websites, such as IGN, as set for Monday, May 12th (tomorrow). However, no official press release from Nintendo has named the release date, nor has Pokemon.com. Be sure to check your Wii Shop Channel tomorrow to see if it is available for download and if the date is correct! If it is not, we will have to wait a little while longer for it to be released in America.

For those of you who do not know, Pokemon Ranch is basically a storage system on the Wii for your Pokemon. It allows you to interact with your Pokemon in a virtual environment and receive special Pokemon (like Mew). In Japan, it was released on March 25th.